Several hospitals, including the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) and Safdarjung, continued their strike on Wednesday in protest against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata.
The Resident Doctors' Associations of AIIMS, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) and Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Indira Gandhi Hospital continued the strike for a third day on the trot, shutting down OPDs, OTs, and wards.
Patients, who come from different corners of the country to recieve medical treatment in the city, had to return home without receiving care as doctors continued their strike despite many stating that it pained them to do so but had no option left.
A 34-year-old man from Sona village in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur said it is very difficult to get treatment as most of the doctors are on strike.
"I came here at 7 am and since then, I’ve been shuffled from one department to another. It’s now 2 pm and I’m just running from one place to another. With the doctors on strike, it’s becoming difficult, as there are already too many patients in the government hospitals who can't get treated even on normal days," he said.
The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), after a meeting with Resident Doctor Associations (RDAs) from across states and Institutes of National Importance, in a statement said it will stand with its peers nationwide in denouncing the murder and continue its strike.
The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), however, called off its strike after a meeting with Union Health Minister J P Nadda at his residence on Tuesday night.
The association said the decision to end the strike was taken in the interest of the welfare of patients.
FORDA said, "A key outcome of the meeting was the health minister's agreement to form a committee with FORDA's involvement to work on the Central Protection Act. The ministry has assured that work on this will begin within the next 15 days."
Doctors at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and associated hospitals have also called off their strike.
A postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College while on duty last week.
The semi-naked body of the 32-year-old woman was found on August 9 morning in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital in the West Bengal capital.
